Quick adjusting c-clamp

ABSTRACT

A C-clamp comprising a C-shaped frame embodying a pair of arms having similar ends joined by a bight portion. One of the arms, similar to an ordinary C-clamp, has a terminal anvil constituting a stationary clamping jaw. The other arm has first and second slots to accommodate an elongated screw. This screw has the usual swivelly mounted head on one end adapted to be lined up with and moved toward and from the stationary jaw and it in effect is a movable jaw. A screw mounting and end thrust nut is threaded on the median portion of the screw and is shiftably, adjustably and operatively mounted in one of the slots by way of a nut receiving and keying pocket. A notched wall of the pocket receives and permits the screw to be positioned for adjustment or release for quick manual adjustment of the nut on the screw.

Umted States Patent 1151 3,704,014

Keene [451 Nov. 28, 1972 QUICK ADJUSTING C-CLAMP [57] ABSTRACT Inventor;Roller! Keene, BOX C001, A C-clamp comprising a C-shaped frame embodyinga Callfi 95614 pair of arms having similar ends joined by a bight por-22 Filed: Feb. 8, 197 tiOIl. One Of the arms, to an ordinary C-clamp,

[21] Appl. No.: 113,557

521 US. Cl ..269/249, 269/172 51 Int. c1 ..B25b 1/12, B25b 5/10 581Field of Search ..269/143, 172, 179, 180, 189,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,156,195 4/1939 Robillard..269/249 x 3,147,003 9/1964 Johnson ..269/249 x Primary Examiner-TravisS. McGehee Assistant ExaminerNeil Abrams AttorneyClarence A. OBrien andHarvey B. Jacobson has a terminal anvil constituting a stationaryclamping 1 jaw. The other arm has first and second slots to accommodatean elongated screw. This screw has the usual swivelly mounted head onone end adapted to be lined up with and moved toward and from thestationary jaw and it in effect is a movable jaw. A screw mounting andend thrust nut is threaded on the median portion of the screw and isshiftably, adjustably and operatively mounted in one of the slots by wayof a nut receiving and keying pocket. A notched wall of the pocketreceives and permits the screw to be positioned for adjustment orrelease for quick manual adjustment of the nut on the screw.

PATENTEU N UV 28 I972 Fig. 2

III

animal! Robert E Keene 1.\'I.\'TOR.

BY @Maaiu QUICK ADJUSTING C-CLAMP The present invention relates to aC-clamp of the type wherein the laterally directed ends of the frame arefashioned into and provide jaws which straddle the workpiece and whereina screw is adjustably mounted on one of the jaws and pertains moreparticularly to a construction and an arrangement wherein the screw isthreaded through a nut and the nut is adjustable for quick adjustingpurposes.

Persons conversant with the state of the art to which the presentinvention relates are aware that rapid adjusting and quick acting workclamping screws are old and well known. While several exemplary patentscould be cited here for background purposes it will suffice, it issubmitted, to mention but two prior patents, that is, the William C.Kenworthy et al. C-clamp US. Pat. No. 2,576,904, and the quick actingscrew actuated clamping device disclosed in a U.S. Pat. No. 2,463,263issued to William Gordon. Gordon is cited because of the fact that,similar to the disclosed invention, it has a conventional stationary jawand an opposed jaw construction which has slot means and nut meanscooperable with the slot means to accommodate a quick acting screw, thatis one which can be rapidly set and adjusted for time and laborsavingpurposes.

An object of the present invention, generally stated,

is to improve upon prior art C-clamps in that novel means is providedfor reliable and quick-change results.

Briefly the C-frame resembles similarly constructed performing frames inthe C-clamp art and, as above suggested, one arm is fashioned into andprovides a more or less common stationary jaw. The other am is unique inthat it has longitudinal slot means therein, more particularly, an upperor inner first slot which is shorter than and narrower than the secondor bottom slot. The bottom slot is such that it permits the nutequippedscrew to be quickly shifted and moved into a non-captive position insuch a manner that the then accessible nut on the median portion of thescrew can be quickly adjusted and set and then returned to and lodged ina keying pocket provided therefor at one end of the second or wide slot.To the ends desired the pocket snugly receives and firmly holds anordinary square nut and one wall of the pocket has a kerf or notchformed therein which serves to accommodate the coacting threaded portionof the screw.

These together with other objects and advantages which will becomesubsequently apparent reside in the details of construction andoperation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, whereinlike numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a view in perspective of a quick adjusting C- clampconstructed in accordance with the principles of the present inventionand showing the aforementioned nut-equipped screw in its Work clampingposition.

FIG. 2 is a view on an enlarged scale and in side elevation with partsin section and elevation showing the details and their construction andarrangement and showing the screw in adjusting position in full linesand in freed or idle position in phantom lines.

FIG. 3 is a section taken approximately on the plane of the horizontalsection line 3-3 of FIG. 2.

And FIG. 4 is a similar horizontal section taken approximately on theplane of the line 4--4 of FIG. 2.

With reference now to the views of the drawing singly and collectivelythe aforementioned C-shaped frame is of one piece construction and isdenoted by the numeral 6 and, generally stated, resembles the C- frameof clamps in this field of endeavor and which are commonly in use. Theupper stationary jaw or arm is denoted at 8 and has a terminal endportion 10 fashioned into a disk-like anvil 12 which constitutes theaforementioned stationary jaw. The bottom laterally. directed arm, alsosometimes referred to as the second jaw is here designated by thenumeral 14 and is relatively heavy and of elongated block-like form andhas an upper or inner surface 16 and a bottom or outer surface 18. It isthis part of the frame which embodies the structural features whichfunction as is perhaps best shown in FIGS. 2, 3 and 4. The slot meanscomprises a first relatively narrow elongated slot 20 one closed endportion of which is denoted at 22 and is located so that it is inalignment with the anvil or jaw 12. The slot 20 is of requisite lengthand of a width to properly orient with and accommodate the adjusting andclamping screw 24. This screw is of requisite length and has an upperswivelly mounted disk 26 thereon which opposed to the jaw 12 and ineffect constitutes the adjustable or relatively movable jaw. Theaforementioned end thrust nut on the intermediate threads is denoted at28. The lower end 30 of this screw is provided with a passage or hole 32to accommodate the rod portion 34 of the screw turning handle. It willbe noted that the nut 28 is square and of requisite size. In actualpractice this nut could be of some shape other than that shown and wouldaccomplish the same purposes under which circumstances the cooperativefeatures would vary to accommodate the shape and size of the nut. Thesecond or bottom slot is denoted at 36 and is significantly wider thanthe top slot and is in effect slightly longer at the right hand end,that is, the end portion 38.

It will be evident that the two slots 20 and 36 permit the nut equippedscrew 24 to be adjusted lengthwise in the slot and at right anglesthereto in a manner to achieve the full line position shown in FIG. 2 aswell as the phantom line nut adjusting position shown in the same view.Then too it will be evident that the width of the first slot 20 is suchthat it snugly embraces the screw but allows the screw to be shifted andadjusted from right to left and vice versa. The relatively wide slot 36serves to permit adjustment not only of the screw but also the nut 28which is carried by the screw in a manner to accomplish the in-use andout-of-use positions illustrated in FIG. 2. For best results it has beenfound practical and desirable to provide the right hand end portion ofthe second slot 36 with a substantially rectangular or square receivingand keying pocket for the nut 28, that is, a pocket in which the nut 28can be lodged in the manner illustrated with particularity in FIGS. 2, 3and 4. With the nut nested or lodged in the pocket it is held againstrotation and consequently the screw can be adjusted by the handle meansto move the movable jaw 26 toward and from I the stationary jaw 12. Itshould be noted that one wall of the pocket, for example the wall 40 isforked, that is, is provided with a notch whose arms are denoted at 42.This notched construction serves to permit the screw to be fully nestedin the closed end of the notch while the end thrust nut is lodged in thepocket 38. It follows that when the nut is in the pocket as shown infull lines the screw 24 can be adjusted to regulate and maintain theposition of the jaws l2 and 26 in a generally well known manner. Whenone desires to make a rapid or quick adjustment all that is necessary isto bodily shift the nut and screw from the fullline position to thephantom line position shown in FIG. 2. The swivelly mounted head 26 iswider than the slot so that it cannot pass through the slots 20 and 36.On the other hand the screw can drop down to the position shown torender the nut available for quick manual adjustment needs after whichthe nut can be slipped back into the pocket and two .or three turns canbe imparted to the screw to achieve the work clamping result (notshown).

Novelty is predicated, in part, on the specially constructed arm 14 andthe screw mounting and end thrust nut 28 threaded on and carried by thescrew 24 and with the combination nut and screw shiftably and adjustablyand operatively mounted in the slot means, that is, in a manner whichpermits the screw and the nut thereon to be retentively keyed in thecaptive position shown for clamping use in FIG. 2 and then bodilyshifted to a free or non-captive position as shown at the left inphantom lines so that quick adjustment of the nut on the screw can beaccomplished, after which the nut can be readily restored to its captivestate for clamping purposes.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles ofthe invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes willreadily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limitthe invention to the exact construction and operation shown anddescribed, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalentsmay be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. A C-clamp comprising a rigid C-shaped frame embodying a pair ofspaced opposed arms having like ends cooperatively joined by acomplemental bight portion, one of said arms having a terminal anvilconstituting a stationary workpiece abutting and clamping jaw, saidother arm having slot means, an elongated screw having a median portioncooperable with said slot means, said screw having a swivelly mountedhead on one end which is designed and adapted to be moved toward saidstationary jaw and which constitutes a movable jaw and having handlemeans at its other end, and a screw mounting and end thrust nut threadedon and carried by said screw and shiftably, adjustably and operativelymounted in said slot means in a manner permitting the screw and the nutthereon to be retentively keyed in a captive position for clamping useor, alternatively, bodily shifted to a free non-captive position so thatquick adjustment of the nut on the screw can be acparallel to said firstslot, the width of said first slot being slightly greater than thetransverse cross-sectional dimension of said screw and permitting thescrew to be snugly fitted but manually slid from one to the other end ofsaid first slot, said second slot being of a width capable of being (1)selectively nested and firmly lodged to permit the screw to be turnedrelative to said nut and thus adjusted and (2) bodily freed in a mannerto permit the nut to be quickly screwed by hand to a desired place onsaid screw and then replaced for retention in said keying pocket.

3. The C-ciarnp defined in and according to claim 1, and wherein one endof the second slot is oriented and aligned with said clamping jaw andisprovided with a nut receiving and keying pocket in which said nut iscapable of being (1) selectively nested and firmly lodged to permit thescrew to be turned relative to said nut and thus adjusted and (2) bodilyfreed in a manner to permit the nut to be quickly screwed by hand to adesired place on said screw and then replaced for retention in saidkeying pocket, said pocket corresponding in sahpe and size to the shapeand size of said nut.

4. The C-clamp defined in and according to claim 3, and wherein saidpocket embodies a bottom wall having an open-ended notch in which aportion of said screw can be removably seated when the nut is lodged insaid pocket for screw-adjusting purposes.

5. A C-clamp comprising a rigid C-shaped frame embodying a pair ofspaced opposed arms having ends joined by a complemental bight portion,one of said arms terminating in an anvil like head constituting astationary workpiece abutting and clamping jaw, the other arm havingfirst and second slots formed therein,

complished and the nut can then be readily restored to the first slotbeing narrower and shorter than the second slot, the second slot beingof the width to accommodate the size of the nut which is cooperabletherewith, said second slot being provided at one end with a nutreceiving, accommodating and keying pocket, an elongated screw having amedian portion cooperable with said slots and passing operably throughthe slots and having a swivelly mounted head on one end which isdesigned and adapted to be moved toward and from the stationary jaw andwhich constitutes a movable jaw, and a screw mounting end thrust nutcarried by the median threaded portion of said screw, saidnut beingnormally lodged and keyed for operation in a pocket at the end of thesecond slot, said pocket being substantially square in configuration andsaid nut being correspondingly square and nested retentive'ly in saidpocketwhen the nut is being used, said pocket being provided with a walland said wall having a notch therein aligned with said'pocket andadapted to accommodatingly receive that portion of the screw which iscooperable therewith.

1. A C-clamp comprising a rigid C-shaped frame embodying a pair ofspaced opposed arms having like ends cooperatively joined by acomplemental bight portion, one of said arms having a terminal anvilconstituting a stationary workpiece abutting and clamping jaw, saidother arm having slot means, an elongated screw having a median portioncooperable with said slot means, said screw having a swivelly mountedhead on one end which is designed and adapted to be moved toward saidstationary jaw and which constitutes a movable jaw and having handlemeans at its other end, and a screw mounting and end thrust nut threadedon and carried by said screw and shiftably, adjustably and operativelymounted in said slot means in a manner permitting the screw and the nutthereon to be retentively keyed in a captive position for clamping useor, alternatively, bodily shifted to a free noncaptive position so thatquick adjustment of the nut on the screw can be accomplished and the nutcan then be readily restored to its captive workpiece clamping position,wherein said slot means embodying a first inwardly disposed slot and asecond outwardly disposed slot aligned with and parallel to said firstslot, the width of said first slot being slightly greater than thetransverse cross-sectional dimension of said screw and permitting thescrew to be snugly fitted but manually slid from one to the other end ofsaid first slot, said second slot being of a width which permits thescrew and the nut thereon to be freely slid back and forth therein. 2.The C-clamp defined in and according to claim 1, and wherein one end ofthe second slot is oriented and aligned with said clamping jaw and isprovided with a nut receiving and keying pocket in which said nut iscapable of being (1) selectively nested and firmly lodged to permit thescrew to be turned relative to said nut and thus adjusted and (2) bodilYfreed in a manner to permit the nut to be quickly screwed by hand to adesired place on said screw and then replaced for retention in saidkeying pocket.
 3. The C-clamp defined in and according to claim 1, andwherein one end of the second slot is oriented and aligned with saidclamping jaw and is provided with a nut receiving and keying pocket inwhich said nut is capable of being (1) selectively nested and firmlylodged to permit the screw to be turned relative to said nut and thusadjusted and (2) bodily freed in a manner to permit the nut to bequickly screwed by hand to a desired place on said screw and thenreplaced for retention in said keying pocket, said pocket correspondingin sahpe and size to the shape and size of said nut.
 4. The C-clampdefined in and according to claim 3, and wherein said pocket embodies abottom wall having an open-ended notch in which a portion of said screwcan be removably seated when the nut is lodged in said pocket forscrew-adjusting purposes.
 5. A C-clamp comprising a rigid C-shaped frameembodying a pair of spaced opposed arms having ends joined by acomplemental bight portion, one of said arms terminating in an anvillike head constituting a stationary workpiece abutting and clamping jaw,the other arm having first and second slots formed therein, the firstslot being narrower and shorter than the second slot, the second slotbeing of the width to accommodate the size of the nut which iscooperable therewith, said second slot being provided at one end with anut receiving, accommodating and keying pocket, an elongated screwhaving a median portion cooperable with said slots and passing operablythrough the slots and having a swivelly mounted head on one end which isdesigned and adapted to be moved toward and from the stationary jaw andwhich constitutes a movable jaw, and a screw mounting end thrust nutcarried by the median threaded portion of said screw, said nut beingnormally lodged and keyed for operation in a pocket at the end of thesecond slot, said pocket being substantially square in configuration andsaid nut being correspondingly square and nested retentively in saidpocket when the nut is being used, said pocket being provided with awall and said wall having a notch therein aligned with said pocket andadapted to accommodatingly receive that portion of the screw which iscooperable therewith.